Methods and systems for removing floating solid waste from the surface of a watercourse

ABSTRACT

A floating pond skimmer is coupled by a fluid conduit to a remote filter/aerating apparatus. The skimmer sucks a mixture of solids and water, grinds/chops the solids, and pumps the reduced solids and water through the conduit to the filter/aerating apparatus which separates the solids from the mixture and aerates the water from the mixture. The floating skimmer preferably includes a vortex chamber, an on-board pump with a grinding impeller, an adjustable ballast, and an anchor. The filter/aerating apparatus includes an inclined screen and a drain tray beneath the inclined screen coupled to a water discharge conduit. Optionally, an aeration pump is coupled to the discharge conduit. Also optionally, a removable solid waste hopper is located at the lower end of the inclined screen. Otherwise the solid waste simply falls into a compost pile at the bottom of the inclined screen.

This is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 10/436,825 filed on May 13, 2003now U.S. Pat. No. 7,022,223.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to skimmers for ponds and the like. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a combined skimmer, filter, andaeration apparatus as well as methods for its use.

2. State of the Art

Backyard ponds are very popular in many parts of the country. Ponds mayvary in size from only a few square feet of surface area to one or moreacres. The larger ponds are usually naturally formed whereas the smallerponds are typically man-made. Solid waste invariably accumulates on thesurface of a pond. Leaves, weeds, and other organic matter are among themost common solid waste found on the surface of ponds. In cases wherethe pond contains nutrients, such as fertilizers which run offsurrounding land into the pond, different kinds of organic growth canlive on the surface of the pond. The most common kinds of organic growthare watermeal and duck weed. In the case of small ponds, floating wasteis easily removed with a hand skimmer or strainer. The larger ponds arenot so easily cleaned. Eventually, the wind will blow most of thefloating waste to an edge of the pond where it can be collected withhand skimmers or strainers. But the volume of waste in a larger pondcalls for an automated solution.

Electrically operated pond skimmers are well known. Typical of the knownpond skimmers are those sold by PondSweep Manufacturing, Co., 1204 DeerStreet, Yorkville, Ill. 60560 and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,991.These skimmers generally consist of an enclosure having side wallsdefining an internal chamber, typically two to three feet deep, which ispermanently installed in a hole adjacent to the pond. A water inlet isformed near the top of the chamber adjacent to the surface of the pondwater. Filter media such as various nets, screens, and/or baskets,depending on the particular model, are placed beneath the water inlet. Apump or a pump chamber is disposed beneath the filter media. The pumppumps water out of the chamber thereby causing a void which is filled bywater from the surface of the pond. Debris which is floating near thewater inlet is entrained by the water into the chamber and is capturedby the filter media. Over time, the skimmer fills with debris and mustbe emptied. This involves removing the top of the enclosure and reachingdown into the below ground container to remove the debris and clean thefilter media. One might consider this periodic cleaning a disadvantage.However, it is generally accepted that all existing pond skimmersrequire some sort of periodic cleaning.

Existing pond skimmers are fixed in position and admit water and debristhrough a floating weir door. The floating weir door will automaticallyadjust for some changes in the water level of the pond. However, mostnatural ponds exhibit changes in water level which are beyond the rangeof the floating weir door. When the water level moves beyond the rangeof the floating weir door, the skimmer is inoperable.

It is apparent that a pond skimmer will only skim debris which is closeenough to the water inlet. Depending on the size of the pond, and theprevailing winds, some debris may never reach the water inlet of theskimmer. The only solution to this problem is to install additionalskimmers around the pond perimeter or to provide some way of generatinga water current flowing towards the skimmer. Most people prefer thesecond option and this is typically accomplished with an artificialwaterfall, a fountain, or a deep water aerator. Waterfalls and fountainsare desirable, because, in addition to their aeration function which isgood for the ecology of the pond, they are aesthetically pleasing.Waterfalls work well in man-made ponds which are designed for awaterfall and skimmer cooperation but may be impractical in naturalponds, depending on their size and shape. If a waterfall is not used,some sort of aeration device is desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system according to the present invention includes a floating pondskimmer coupled by a fluid conduit to a remote filter apparatus.Although the invention is described with reference to ponds, it isintended that the invention be applicable to any suitable watercourseincluding lakes and streams, etc. The floating skimmer preferablyincludes a vortex chamber and an on-board pump with a grinding/choppingimpeller or similar apparatus for reducing solids to pieces. The filterapparatus includes an inclined screen and a drain tray beneath theinclined screen coupled to a water discharge conduit. The skimmer sucksa mixture of solids and water, reduces the solids, and pumps the reducedsolids and water through the conduit to the filter apparatus whichseparates the solids from the mixture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of a floating skimmerunit according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially transparent top view of the skimmer unit of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a partially transparent side elevation view of the skimmerunit of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a partially transparent side elevation view of a filterapparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the system shown in a pond;

FIG. 6 is a transparent top view of a second embodiment of a skimmeraccording to the invention;

FIG. 7 is a transparent side view of the second embodiment of theskimmer according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is a transparent top view of a third embodiment of a skimmeraccording to the invention;

FIG. 9 is a transparent side view of the third embodiment of the skimmeraccording to the invention;

FIG. 10 is a transparent top view of a fourth embodiment of a skimmeraccording to the invention;

FIG. 11 is a transparent side view of the fourth embodiment of theskimmer according to the invention;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a fifth embodiment of theskimmer

FIG. 12 a is a transparent side elevational view of the skimmer of FIG.12 assembled;

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of thefilter apparatus;

FIG. 13 a is a transparent side elevational view of the filter of FIG.13 assembled with the removable tray;

FIG. 13 b is a transparent side elevational view of the filter of FIG.13 assembled with the removable chute;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a skimmer unit according to the inventionillustrating the water inlets;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an impeller;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of the impeller of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of a skimmer system equipped with anoscillating travel feature; and

FIGS. 18 a-18 c illustrate the operation of the spring suspension whenthe skimmer is powered up.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3, a floating skimmer 10 according tothe invention includes a floatbody base 12, a float body 14, and aremovable lid 16.

The floatbody base 12 includes a pump well 18 having cooling holes 20and an outlet hole 22, and four mounting holes 24, 26, 28, 30. The pumpwell 18 is dimensioned to receive the pump 32. According to theillustrated embodiment, the pump 32 has a three inch inlet 34 and a twoinch outlet 36 and a waterproof power cord 37. As mentioned above, thepump is preferably provided with a grinding or chopping impeller (notshown). A suitable pump has a capacity of approximately 4,000 to 6,000gallons per hour.

The floatbody 14 has a central vortex chamber 38 having a lower outlet39. The vortex chamber 38 is surrounded by four mounting holes 40, 42,44, 46. Spaces 48, 50 on either side of the vortex chamber 38 areadapted to receive respective ballast containers 52, 54 which are heldin place with poured polyurethane foam 56.

The floatbody base 12 and the floatbody 14 are coupled to each other bythreaded rods 58, 59, 60, 62. The rods 58, 59 fit into holes 42, 46 26,and 30, and are provided with “combs” 61, 63 which prevent large objects(including small animals) from being sucked into the vortex chamber 38.The rods 60, 62 fit into holes 24, 28, 40, and 44. The bottoms of therods 60, 62 are fastened to L-shaped brackets 68, 70 with nuts 64, 66.The brackets 68, 70 form anchor points for connecting the skimmer 10 toone or more anchors (not shown). The tops of the rods 60, 62 arefastened to the floatbody 14 with nuts 72, 74 and washers 76, 78. Theremovable lid 16 is fastened to the rods 60, 62 with threaded knobs 80,82. As seen in FIGS. 1-3, the removable lid allows access to theadjustable ballast containers 52, 54 and the vortex chamber 38 forcleaning. The ballast containers are said to be “adjustable” because theamount of ballast contained by them can be adjusted by adding orremoving ballast.

The skimmer 10 is preferably made from thermoformed ABS plastic and hasoverall dimensions of approximately 22 inches by approximately 32 inchesby approximately 15 inches deep. The horizontal distance between therods 60, 62 is approximately 20 inches. Floatation is achieved withapproximately 1.25 cubic feet of foam (56 in FIG. 1). The ballastcontainers 52, 54 are, according to this embodiment, filled withsufficient ballast so that the water inlets of the skimmer remain about1.5 inches below the water surface. The pump 32 is preferably a ½ HPsump pump (manufactured by Barnes Pumps, Inc., Mansfield, Ohio) modifiedto have a chopping or cutting and/or grinding impeller (FIGS. 15, 16) ora ½ HP sewage cutter pump model SC-50 manufactured by Stancor, Inc.Monroe, Conn. With either of these pumps and using a two inch flexibleconduit, the filter apparatus may be located several hundred feet fromthe skimmer.

As mentioned above, the outlet 36 of the skimmer pump 32 is coupled by aflexible conduit 84 (shown partially in FIG. 2) to a remote filterapparatus 100 (FIG. 4). Turning now to FIG. 4, the filter apparatus 100has an inclined screen 102 and a drain tray 104 disposed beneath thescreen. The inlet 106 to the filter 100 is disposed above the screen102. A deflector 108 is preferably provided above the screen 102 todeflect water through the screen 102. The drain tray 104 is providedwith a water outlet 110 which is optionally coupled to an aerator beforereturning to the pond. According to one embodiment, a removable tray 112is located at the lower end of the inclined screen 102 and the entirefilter assembly 100 is provided with a hinged cover 114. According toanother embodiment, the filter assembly is provided with a chute foremptying onto a compost heap.

The filter apparatus 100 is preferably made from a frame of PVC pipe andthermoformed ABS plastic members. The overall dimensions areapproximately 46 inches long by approximately 20 inches wide byapproximately 18 inches tall. The screen 102 is approximately twelveinches long and is inclined at approximately 14 degrees.

Referring now to schematic FIG. 5, according to the invention, thefloating skimmer 10 is located in an appropriate location on the pondsurface PS and anchored in place with anchors 90, 92. The remote filterapparatus 100 is also located in an appropriate location, and theskimmer is coupled to the filter apparatus with a flexible conduit 84.After the units are located, power is applied to the pump in the skimmerand water and solid debris are sucked into the vortex chamber of theskimmer. The solid debris is ground or chopped fine by the pump and thewater and reduced solids mixture is pumped through the conduit to thefilter apparatus. The reduced debris is separated from the water by thescreen in the filter and is either deposited in the removable tray orallowed to fall onto a compost heap. The water from the filter isoptionally aerated and returned to the pond. FIG. 5 illustrates anoptional aerator 200 which is coupled by a conduit 184 to the wateroutlet 110 of the filter apparatus 100. As conditions change, e.g. windchanges, seasonal changes, the skimmer and/or the filter apparatus maybe moved to a different location.

The appropriate location of the skimmer is typically close to the debrisor where it is likely to catch the most debris. The appropriate locationof the filter is governed primarily by the length of the conduitconnecting the skimmer and the filter. Aesthetic considerations may alsobe important in choosing the appropriate locations for the skimmer andthe filter.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a second embodiment of a skimmer 210 isillustrated schematically. The reference numerals in FIGS. 6 and 7 aresimilar to those in FIGS. 1-3, increased by 200, and refer to similarparts of the skimmer 210. As seen best in FIG. 6, the floatbody 214 isgenerally elliptical. In this embodiment, the vortex chamber 238 ishemispherical or nearly hemispherical. It is generally preferred thatthe vortex chamber be as close to hemispherical as possible and at leastcloser to hemispherical than elliptical. In any case, it is preferredthat the vortex chamber be symmetrical about all three axes. In thisembodiment, the pump 232 is mounted horizontally as in the firstembodiment. The center of the vortex chamber is slightly off center ofthe floatbody. Floatation material 256, 257 is placed in the spaces 248,250 on either side of the vortex chamber. As seen best in FIG. 7, thefloatation material is less dense at the low end than at the upper end.The decrease in density at the lower end of the floatation is effectedby forming ridges in the foam material.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a third embodiment of a skimmer 310 accordingto the invention. In these Figures similar reference numerals (increasedby 300) refer to similar parts as those in FIGS. 1-3. This embodimentdiffers from the second embodiment in that the vortex chamber 338 islocated substantially to one side of the floatbody 314 and thus, all orsubstantially all of the floatation material 356 is located in the space348 on one side of the vortex chamber.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a fourth embodiment of a skimmer 410according to the invention. The reference numerals in these Figures aresimilar to the reference numerals in FIGS. 1-3 (increased by 400 andrefer to similar parts of the skimmer. In this embodiment, the vortexchamber 438 is centrally located relative to the floatbody 414 and thepump 432 is mounted vertically. Substantially equal amounts offloatation material 456, 457 are placed in the spaces 448, 450 onopposite sides of the vortex chamber 438.

FIG. 12 illustrates the components of the fifth embodiment of theskimmer 510 and FIG. 12 a illustrates those components assembled. Thisembodiment includes a lower pump housing 512, an upper housing cover514, and a removable lid 516. The lower pump housing 512 issubstantially elliptical and includes mounting holes 524, 528 atopposite ends of the housing 512. A pump 532 has an inlet 534 coupled tothe drain 539 of a substantially hemispherical vortex chamber 538. Thepump 532 has an outlet (not shown) and a waterproof electrical cord 537.

The upper housing cover 514 has mounting holes 540, 544 which align withthe mounting holes 524, 528 in the lower pump housing 512 whenassembled. The upper housing 514 provides spaces 548, 550 for floatationmaterial 556, 557, preferably polyurethane foam, and has side openings561, 563 which allow water and debris to enter the vortex chamber 538when the upper and lower housing parts are assembled.

Threaded rods 558, 560 enter the mounting holes 524, 528, 540, 544 andare used to hold the upper and lower housings 514, 512 together with thefloatation members 556, 557 in the spaces 548, 550. More particularly,the lower end of rod 560 is provided with a threaded anchor plate 568which is coupled to a larger anchor plate by 570 by screws 572. Asimilar arrangement (not shown) exists between rod 558 and anchor plate571. The upper ends of the rods 558, 560 are engaged by nut and washerassemblies 576, 578, 580, 582.

The floatation material and the threaded rod assemblies are arranged sothat the water inlet of the skimmer remains approximately 1.5 inchesbelow the water surface.

The skimmer 510 is also preferably provided with handles 584, 586 whichallow the skimmer to be easily lifted out of the water and placed intothe water.

The outlet (not shown) of the pump 532 is coupled via a two inch maleadapter 588 to a length of ABS pipe 590 which is coupled via a two inchfemale adapter to a hose (not shown). Two U-brackets 594, 596 are usedto secure the pump 532 to the anchor plate 571. The open ends of theU-brackets are closed by rods 598, 600 and nuts, e.g. 602, with the pumpthen secured in the brackets. The upper closed ends of the brackets aresecured to the plate 571 with screws, e.g. 604.

According to the illustrated embodiment each rod 558, 560 is coveredwith a coaxial spring assembly, e.g. 610, which acts as a shockabsorber. The spring assembly includes three washers, a PVC spacer and aspring all placed over a threaded rod. According to the illustratedembodiment, from top to bottom, the arrangement is washer, spring,washer, spacer, and washer.

As seen best in FIG. 12 a, the unit has a main pump housing and vortexchamber portion, which has slight negative (but weight balanced)buoyancy and a cover/floatation/suspension portion which providesoverall positive buoyancy and is adjustable for different skimmingdepths. Notable features of this arrangement are:

a) The main portion contains foam 555 around the pump 532, which isoffset from the center, designed to allow the main portion to beslightly negatively buoyant but even—that is, not overly heavy on eitherside.

b) The cover portion has foam 556, 557 for floatation but also forsuspension. This foam is fixed to the “ceiling” or top of the cover, andmay use either a solid or a triangular finger configuration, with thefingers pointing downward. A significant amount of the foam is designedto be above water level, so that if a bird lands on the unit its weightwill not submerge the unit. In operation, the main portion is suspendedfrom the cover unit, held in place by the threaded rods, and its depthadjusted by the threaded knobs.

c) The two portions are joined by the threaded rods with coaxialsprings, washers and spacers. The springs operate during start up tostabilize the unit. After the unit has been placed in the water and hasfilled with water, it may be powered up. At that time, the pump willimmediately pull a large amount of water from the vortex chamber, makingthe main portion more buoyant. As the main portion begins to rise up inthe water, the springs compress and lift the top unit further out of thewater, thereby reducing overall system buoyancy. As more water rushesinto the vortex chamber, the system settles and stabilizes.

d) Use of the springs, spacers and threaded rods allows variation of theskimming depth for different applications (for example, small particleskimming would be done at a very shallow depth, skimming ponds withwalnuts in them would be done at a greater depth). The skimming depth isadjusted by rotating the threaded knobs to tighten or loosen the spring,or by substituting different springs or spacers in the suspension beforeinstallation.

FIGS. 18 a, 18 b, and 18 c clarify the operation of the suspension andthe interaction between the floating upper portion and the lower portionafter the skimmer is placed in the water (FIG. 18 a), during start-up(FIG. 18 b), and during normal steady-state operation (FIG. 18 c).

FIG. 18 a shows the skimmer after it has been placed in a body of water1100, but before the pump 1150 has been turned on. The floating upperportion 1110 provides buoyancy to keep the skimmer afloat. The lowerportion 1120 is suspended from the floating upper portion 1110 bythreaded rods 1170. Preferably, the lower portion 1120 is negativelybuoyant when it is filled with water so that it hangs down from thefloating upper portion 1110, suspended by the threaded rods 1170.

The lower portion 1120 includes a vortex chamber 1140 that is connectedto a pump 1150 via a suitable conduit. The lower portion 1120 alsoincludes one or more water inlets 1130 and a water outlet 1160. Once theskimmer is placed in the water 1100, water 1100 will enter via the waterinlets 1130 and fill up the vortex chamber 1140. In the illustratedembodiment, the top of the floating upper portion 1110 floats at aheight H1 above the surface 1101 of the water 1100 during this state.

When the pump 1150 is turned on, the pump sucks most of the water out ofthe vortex chamber 1140 and directs it out of the skimmer via the wateroutlet 1160. As the water leaves, air rushes into the vortex chamber1140. As a result, the buoyancy of the lower portion 1120 increases, andthe lower portion 1120 rises upwards. As the lower portion 1120 risesupwards, it presses up on the lower end of the springs 1175. The springs1175, in turn, exert an upward force on the floating upper portion 1110.This lifts the floating upper portion 1110 to the position shown in FIG.18 b, where the top of the upper portion 1110 is momentarily at a heightH2 (H2>H1) above the surface 1101. As the skimmer rises, the springs1175 will also compress, absorbing some of the energy.

Eventually, the springs 1175 decompress and push the lower portion 1120away from the floating upper portion 1110. The skimmer settles down inthe water 1100 to a position where the water level 1101 is higher thanthe lower lip of the water inlets 1130, as seen in FIG. 18 c. Thesprings 1175 operate to stabilize the skimmer by damping the up and downmotion of the lower portion 1120 during start up, thereby reducing theshock to the system. This prevents the skimmer from popping in and outof the water, or at least reduces such popping. In this state, the topof the floating upper portion 1110 is at a height H3 (H2>H3>H1) abovethe surface 1101, and water 1100 pours into the vortex chamber 1140through the water inlets 1130. The lower portion 1120 may be negativelybuoyant in this state so that it hangs down from the floating upperportion 1110, suspended by the threaded rods 1170. Alternatively, thelower portion 1120 could be slightly positively buoyant in this state sothat it presses up lightly against the springs 1175.

Due to the shape of the vortex chamber, the position of the water inlet1130 and the operation of the pump 1150, a water vortex 1105 forms inthe vortex chamber, and the inpouring water is pumped by the pump 1150out through the water outlet 1160. Forming a vortex is advantageousbecause it draws floating debris into the pump 1150 and out through thewater outlet 1160. The skimmer may be operated in this stateindefinitely (i.e. for the operational lifetime of the pump) as long aspower is applied. Water 1100 will continue to flow in via the waterinlets 1130, form a vortex 1105 in the vortex chamber 1140 and be pumpedout of the water outlet 1160 by the pump 1150.

During the steady-state operation, the lower lip of the water inlets1130 is below the surface 1101 of the water. The depths of the lower lipof the water inlets 1130 below the surface 1101 can be adjusted byturning the threaded knobs 1172 so as to raise or lower the lowerportion 1120 with respect to the floating upper portion 1110, so as toprovide the skimming depth desired by the user (depending on, forexample, the type of debris that is being skimmed). For a sampleskimmer, the heights H1, H2, and H3 shown in FIGS. 18 a, 18 b, and 18 cwere measured as 2.0 inches, 3.28 inches, and 2.75 inches, respectively.

FIG. 13 illustrates the second embodiment of filter apparatus 700. Likethe filter apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 4, the apparatus 700 includes aninclined screen 702 and a drain tray 704. The inlet 706 is disposedabove the screen 702 and a flexible skirt deflector 708 is provideddownstream above the screen 702. The drain tray 704 is provided with apair of water outlets 710 and a removable tray 712 is located at thelower end of the inclined screen. A removable cover 714 is provided oversubstantially all of the assembly.

The inclined screen 702 is preferably a stainless steel mesh supportedby a stainless steel rod support 716 in an aluminum frame 718, 720.Screens of different mesh size may be provided for differentapplications. For example, 1,000 micron mesh (normal window screenmaterial) may be suitable for some applications, such as those oftentreated with a “lake rake”. Five hundred micron mesh may be moresuitable for duck weed and the like. One hundred eighty micron isprobably most suitable for watermeal.

The drain tray 704 is provided with a rubber cross stop 703 forstability.

The outlet 706 is coupled by an aluminum collar 707 to a pivot hinge705. The pivot hinge 705 is coupled to the cover 714 and to a tube frame742 by a pivot bolt 744.

The flexible skirt 708 is coupled to a plastic screen housing 726 havingan upper LEXAN window 728 via an aluminum screen frame 730, 732. Thewindow 728 allows inspection of the screen 702 and the skirt 708 helpsdirect the water through the screen 702.

The removable tray 712 has a bottom stainless steel screen 722 supportedby a stainless steel rod support mesh 724.

According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13, 13 a, and 13 b, thefilter apparatus 700 includes a removable chute 734 which can be placedin the drain tray 704 in place of the removable tray 712. The chute 734is provided with a bottom opening 736 covered by a screen support mesh738 and a stainless steel screen 740. It will be appreciated that boththe removable tray 712 and the chute 734 allow water to pass throughtheir bottoms into the drain tray 704. The removable tray 712 collectsfiltered debris which may then be carried to another location. The chute734 allows debris to exit its open end 735 into a compost heap, forexample.

The filter apparatus 700 is preferably built on an aluminum tube frame742 which is provided with extension legs 748, 750 which are locked inplace by, e.g. cross bolts such as cross bolt 746. This allows theoverall height of the apparatus to be adjusted. It also allows the unitto be located on uneven ground. These legs and the chute allow the unitto be positioned to dump solid waste into a wheelbarrow or garden cart.

FIG. 14 illustrates the configuration for the inlets to the vortexchamber 238. In particular, one wall (802, 806) of each inlet is nearlystraight and the other wall (804, 808) is curved. In this embodiment, no“combs” (61, 63 in FIG. 1) are used.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate a chopping or cutting and/or grindingimpeller which can be used in any of the embodiments. The impeller has asubstantially circular base 902 with a central mounting hole 904 and twoupstanding curved walls 906, 908. The walls spiral inward toward themounting hole and terminate with sharp edges. As seen in FIGS. 15 and16, the sharp edges include teeth and taper from bottom to top. It willbe appreciated that other means for reducing solids could be provided.For example, grinding or chopping blades could be provided separate fromthe pump impeller.

FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration of a skimmer head having anoscillating jet which causes it to “sweep”. This arrangement 1000includes a skimmer head 1002 according to the invention. The pump outletof the skimmer head 1002 is coupled to a short T connector 1004, oneoutlet of which supplies an oscillating sprinkler head 1006. A filterscreen (not shown) may be placed between the T connector and thesprinkler head. The other outlet of the T connector is coupled to afirst conduit 1008. The first conduit 1008 is coupled to a secondconduit 1012 via an anchor point 1010. In operation, the oscillatingsprinkler head causes the skimmer head to sweep back and forth in an arcabout the anchor point 1010. More particularly, some of the water pumpedfrom the skimmer 1002 is directed through the filter screen (not shown)to the sprinkler head 1006 while the remainder of the water andentrained reduced debris is directed through the conduits 1008, 1012.The water which is directed to the sprinkler head causes the sprinklerhead to oscillate back and forth, e.g. through an arc of 180° or so. Thewater exiting the sprinkler head exerts a lateral force on the Tconnector which causes the skimmer, sprinkler head, and the T connectorto all move in the direction opposite to the direction of the waterflowing from the sprinkler head. As the sprinkler head oscillates, thedirection changes, thus causing the skimmer to sweep back and forth inan arc. It will also be appreciated that the water exiting the sprinklerhead is aerated and returned to the pond.

The embodiments described above provide one or more of the followingadvantages:

systems for removing solid waste from the surface of a pond or similarwatercourse;

a system for removing solid waste from the surface of a watercoursewhereby collected solid waste is very easily removed from the system;

a system for removing solid waste from the surface of a watercoursewhereby the system is essentially self-cleaning;

a system for removing solid waste from the surface of a watercoursewhich is easily movable from one location to another in the pond;

a system for removing solid waste from the surface of a watercoursewhich can be used in cooperation with an aeration device;

a system for removing solid waste from the surface of a watercoursewhich automatically adjusts for wide variation in the water level;

a system for removing solid waste from the surface of a watercoursewherein the solid waste is reduced to prevent clogging; and

a movable solid waste filter which is adjustable to reside on unevensurfaces.

There have been described and illustrated herein methods and apparatusfor removing floating solid waste from the surface of a pond. Whileparticular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is notintended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended thatthe invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that thespecification be read likewise. Thus, while particular materials weredescribed, it will be appreciated that the apparatus of the inventioncan be implemented utilizing different materials. Also, while particularsizes were described with respect to the pond skimmer and filter, itwill be appreciated that both the pond skimmer and filter may beimplemented in different sizes. Further, while particular hardware wasdescribed, it will be appreciated that different hardware could beutilized with respect to the pond skimmer and filter. It will thereforebe appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modificationscould be made to the provided invention without deviating from itsspirit and scope as so claimed.

1. A method for removing solid waste from the surface of a pond,comprising: a) locating a floating skimmer with an on-board pump in thepond; b) locating a remote filter apparatus outside of the pond; c)coupling the skimmer to the filter apparatus with a conduit; d)operating the pump in the skimmer such that a mixture of water and soliddebris are sucked into the skimmer and pumped through the conduit to theremote filter apparatus where the solid debris is removed from themixture; and e) reducing the solid debris prior to removing it from themixture.
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein: said step ofreducing is performed prior to pumping the mixture to the remote filterapparatus.
 3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising: f)depositing the solid debris in a removable tray.
 4. A method accordingto claim 3, further comprising: g) relocating the skimmer in the pond.5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising h) aerating thewater after the solid debris is removed.
 6. A method according to claim1, further comprising: f) depositing the solid debris in a removabletray.
 7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: f) aeratingthe water after the solid debris is removed.
 8. A method according toclaim 1, further comprising: f) anchoring the skimmer in place.
 9. Amethod according to claim 1, further comprising: f) depositing the soliddebris in a compost heap.
 10. A method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: f) relocating the skimmer in the pond.